Facebook Hashtags – How They Work and How to Use Them

So, here’s a funny story for you. Imagine you’re like me, an inventor and a designer who works on making websites better. You’d think people would be impressed by all the amazing things you create, right?

Well, let me introduce myself. I’m Chris Messina, and I’ve done some pretty cool things in my career. I’ve worked with big companies like Google and Mozilla, and I even sit on boards for Web Foundations. But guess what? None of those things made me famous.

Instead, it was a silly little idea that I had. Yep, you heard me right. It was a dumb idea that ended up being a big hit.

7 Surefire Signs You’re Addicted to Facebook

I’ll be honest with you, I think Facebook has taken over our lives. Can you believe there are close to a billion people using it? It’s crazy! If you’re anything like me, you might be wondering whether you’re addicted to Facebook. Well, let’s find out! Here are seven telltale signs:

1. You check Facebook first thing in the morning, even before brushing your teeth. I mean, come on, priorities, right?
2. Your friends and family complain that you’re always on Facebook. They’re like, “Can we have a real conversation, please?” But who needs that when you have all those notifications to catch up on?
3. You feel a sense of panic when you can’t access Facebook. Like, what if someone liked your post or left a comment? You can’t miss that!
4. Your phone has become an extension of your hand because you’re always scrolling through your Facebook feed. It’s like a reflex at this point.
5. You spend way too much time stalking people’s profiles. Admit it, we’ve all done it. But maybe you’re taking it to the next level.
6. You’ve lost track of time on Facebook. You go on for a quick peek, and suddenly, it’s two hours later. Where did the time go?
7. You’ve thought about deactivating your account, but the idea terrifies you. Who would you be without Facebook? It’s become a part of your identity.

So, if any of these signs resonate with you, it might be time to take a step back and reevaluate your relationship with Facebook. After all, there’s a whole world out there beyond the virtual one!

The Mighty Hashtag

Let’s talk about hashtags for a moment. You know, that little symbol that infiltrates our daily lives. It all started back in 2007 when this guy named Chris tweeted something with a hashtag. And voila! The hashtag was born, and now it’s everywhere!

You can’t escape it. It’s in TV ads, music videos, bars, and even on billboards. Everyone’s using it, from politicians trying to rally people to vote, to Lil Wayne trying to gain more followers with his quirky Twitter alter ego #liltunechi. It’s like a language of its own.

And guess what? It’s not just limited to Twitter anymore. More and more apps are jumping on the hashtag train. You’ve got Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr, Instagram, Path, and the list goes on. They all want a taste of that hashtag magic.

Hey there, guess what? Facebook finally hopped on the hashtag train! I mean, they were a little slow to catch on, but better late than never, right? They made a big announcement on their Newsroom about it and everything.

But what’s the big idea, you ask?

Well, it’s actually pretty simple. Facebook wants to make it easier for us to find and join in on conversations about specific topics. So they came up with these things called hashtags. They’re kind of like tags that help organize conversations between users. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, Facebook was nice enough to give us some tips on how to use these hashtags. Here are the top three:

• You can search for a specific hashtag right from your search bar. No more scrolling through endless posts and comments!
• If you see a hashtag that originated from another service, like Instagram, you can click on it and see what people are talking about.
• And get this! You can even create your own posts right from the hashtag feed and search results. Talk about convenience!

So, here’s the deal. It seems like the folks over at Menlo Park have come up with this plan to get us talking more. But, you know, there’s more to it than meets the eye. Facebook has actually found two big advantages in launching the # API. They’re all about SEO and making money.

They want to get more traffic

From an SEO perspective, this is a game-changer. Just think about all the extra traffic Facebook could get from Google, thanks to those clever hashtags.

Let’s take the word “#facebook” as an example. According to Google’s Keyword Tool, it gets a whopping 3,760,000,000 exact searches. Now, imagine how annoying it must be for Zuckerberg to see this link as the top result for that keyword.

Now, imagine if everyone in the world, including big brands and companies, started using hashtags to promote themselves offline. People would be searching for hashtags all over the internet, creating a massive army of hashtag users.

They also care about #cash

But there’s more to hashtags than just popularity. They can also be a money-making tool, and Facebook knows it:

“The recent ‘Red Wedding’ episode of Game of Thrones received over 1.5 million mentions on Facebook. This accounted for a large percentage of the 5.2 million people who watched the show. And during this year’s Oscars, there was an incredible amount of buzz on Facebook, with over 66.5 million interactions, including likes, comments, and posts. Until now, there hasn’t been an easy way to see the bigger picture and understand what’s happening and what people are talking about.” – [Source]

Imagine this: Facebook, once a platform solely dedicated to connecting people, has strayed from its original purpose and joined the ranks of other money-hungry Internet giants. Now, it’s not hard to picture them selling trending hashtags or creating a system for paid advertising. In fact, they’re already encouraging advertisers to make use of hashtags.

But why should you care about hashtags?

Let’s say you have a Facebook Page for your local business. The idea is that the more pound signs you use when talking about whatever it is you want to talk about, the more attention you could potentially receive. People will click on and search for those hashtags, leading them to your page.

Of course, you’d want to use relevant and trending hashtags only. By doing so, you can increase your visibility and, in theory, generate more profit for your business. It’s a simple equation: more visibility equals more customers, which means more money in your company’s bank account. At least, that’s the theory.

When it comes to the order of search results for hashtags, many factors come into play. These include things like “virality,” the size of one’s fan base, brand recognition, and the reach of posts, among others.

Watch out for misuse

It’s hard to imagine that small businesses will be able to take advantage of hashtags in the long term. However, at least for now, since the concept is relatively new, there is a chance that some unethical individuals might use hashtags to take advantage of important events and drive traffic to their own pages.

This raises an important question: Will Facebook be able to keep hashtag search results relevant and free from spam? The answer to this question will determine whether users will fully embrace hashtags or simply use them as a fleeting trend between different social media platforms.

It’s important to use hashtags correctly!

In the end, you might wonder why Facebook has a hidden agenda. But don’t worry, as long as you’re a good user, there are only a few rules you need to follow when using Chris Messina’s creation:

1. Stay on topic

As I mentioned earlier, using trending hashtags just to get more attention is not a good idea. This can harm your reputation, attract negative comments, and even get you in trouble online. So, only use hashtags that are relevant to your post.

2. Make it simple

Remember, simplicity is key. When creating a hashtag, keep it short and sweet. Using one or two words or even an abbreviation is the way to go. Let’s say you want to promote your favorite cartoon character, Ren and Stimpy’s Powdered Toast Man. Instead of going for something like #PowderedToastManRenStimpy, a much better option would be #PTMChar.

3. Make it obvious

It’s important to do your due diligence and check if the hashtags you want to use already exist. Many people make the mistake of coming up with their own hashtags without searching for existing ones. You want to be inclusive and make sure that everyone can join in on the conversation. Using hashtags that are based on your brand, product, or show’s name is usually a safe bet. It’s also a good idea to make sure that your hashtags won’t end up doing more harm than good, like a #susanalbumparty-style blunder.

4. Avoid spamming

Do you ever feel like you’re not getting the love you deserve? Well, if you’re using too many hashtags in your updates or comments, that might be the reason why. You see, when you use too many hashtags, people start thinking you’re just spamming them.

There have been some studies done on this, specifically on Twitter, and they found that tweets with only one or two hashtags get double the attention compared to those with more. In fact, tweets with more than two hashtags actually receive 17% less engagement.

Hey there, let’s talk about hashtags! Don’t worry, Facebook plays by the same rules.

Step 5: Give your hashtag a purpose

When you first use a hashtag, it’s important to explain what it’s all about. Describe it in simple terms, so everyone knows what it means. You can also provide a definition right here, just to be thorough.

In conclusion

Hashtags are an awesome invention, and we have Chris Messina to thank for it. Even though Facebook might be late to the game and have their own reasons for using hashtags, it’s still important for you to care about your online image and use hashtags in the right way.